THE ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREA LEGISLATION IN THE UNITED-KINGDOM AND ITS POTENTIAL APPLICATION TO THE PICOS DE EUROPA MOUNTAINS IN NORTH-WEST SPAIN

The Picos de Europa are representative of the diverse cultural landsca pes cl Spain that are currently threatened by changes in traditional m anagement practices. They contain the first national park to be declar ed in Europe, and, although this has recently been extended, there is no policy to support the traditional agricultural practices that maint ain the landscape. The Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) scheme in Britain is described in order to provide an appropriate policy backgro und within which the ecological characteristics of the region could be maintained. The general background to the environment of the region i s then described, with its unique interactions amongst limestone rock, climate, species and anthropogenic influences that have produced a co mplex cultural landscape. A statistical classification of the region w as constructed which, in conjunction with a field survey, enabled the ecological resources to be assessed, and also identified the principal threats to the character of the region. It is suggested that ESA-styl e legislation could provide a valuable policy instrument to encourage maintenance of the cultural landscape and some appropriate prescriptio ns are proposed for this purpose.